Online Bookstore E-marketing - Term Paper Example

? Online Bookstore E-marketing ONLINE BOOKSTORE E-MARKETING Introduction The ability for a to buy books online provides him/her with an ultimate personal experience. It makes it possible for anyone to procure books that are tailored to their specific interests on any day and at any time. Online bookstores have altered the way in which readers and writers interact and are expected to have a huge impact on the book retail business in the future. Starting a website to sell books will benefit Book Bunker in numerous ways, not least by increasing their stock space. Physical bookstores are limited in space, which is not a problem for online bookstores. Online bookstores are perfect for popular titles as well as rare ones, thus being a perfect avenue for Book Bunker as these rare titles receives the same space in relation to popular titles on the bookstore’s website. Ordering rare titles online will take the same time for delivery, as it would be for popular titles. Online bookstores are also convenient for customers in rural areas; they do not require physical access and are open for 24 hours including winter. Finally, an online bookstore will allow customers to post reviews about titles, which will aid Book Bunker since this feedback will affect the ratings of the title online, especially for rare titles, and will make for a unique interactive shopping experience that will attract other customers to the site. Online Bookstore Website Design One thing that needs to be considered when designing a website for a book store is that Book Bunker should ease up for their clients to buy titles and make the experience unique and interactive (Gay et al, 2010). The website should provide the client with extra information on top of the author and title. A system such as this has search as its lifeblood, and thus, it should include all information that a person browsing for a book would be searching for, including name, types of available copies, information on editions and whether it constitutes of a bigger pack (Gay et al, 2010). Simply, the website must capture and maximize the physical bookstore experience as much as possible. The website should also provide an opportunity for customers to add information on the titles that Book Bunker does not have, such as literary events, reading marathons, envision lists, book clubs, book marks, discussion boards, ratings, tagging, and detailed reviews. The website should also be designed in such a way that it works as a link between customers and suppliers with the store acting as an intermediary (Gay et al, 2010). Therefore, it becomes irrelevant whether the book is in stock. Book Bunker should factor in flags and notifications in their website coupled to appropriate icons, as well as allow effective forms to input and wish lists. Book Bunker also needs to network its website with other similar bookstores in order to possess a comprehensive catalogue, which caters to all book readers in multiple formats. This will also allow a review system that provides valuable and honest advice for purchase (Gay et al, 2010). The website should also possess the look inside section where the customer is allowed to have a peek into the book before buying it. Redemption facilities such as gift vouchers should also be included in the website, as well as making it easier to order, pre-order, back-order, and return books (Gay et al, 2010). In addition, the website needs to be colorful and attractive on top of the text and white background, even with the necessity of optimization and fast loading. There should be a visual color-coded separation between the books to make it appealing to search for books. The site should also allow for a trail-back to the previous link levels clicked to get to the book itself in case the client decides that the clicked book is not the correct one (Gay et al, 2010). The “list page” should be in grid-style, which would enable Book Bunker to list more books with reduced vertical scroll. This would also allow the bookstore to increase the size of its thumbnails to make the presentation colorful and appealing without any introduction of graphic or color element. Finally, information regarding shipping, stock availability, discounts, and pricing should be included with options for easy buying included also along with similar products and keywords and tags that are relevant to the book being browsed (Gay et al, 2010). Advertising the Online Bookstore Website The goal for online bookstores such as Book Bunker is to acquire new clients for a cheap advertising cost. Therefore, knowledge of where to place the ads is vital. The types of books that Book Bunker deals in should dictate the placement and if the budget allows the bookstore could advertise on various web portals like MSN, although this would not be profitable for a small business (Krishnamurthy, 2011). Book Bunker needs to place their adverts in front of motivated buyers in order to increase traffic to the site. For starters, the bookstore could begin by submitting book reviews to article directories, video marketing, joining blogs that are related to the books they deal in, and link exchanges with other relevant and related websites to their core business. Keyword advertising would be the cheapest and easiest manner to target ad buys. Purchasing keyword advertising with Overture or Google will allow the bookstore to target the customer before they even display the ad, which will make it easier for them since they do not have prior online advertising expertise and presence (Krishnamurthy, 2011). Another inexpensive way to reach their target customers is via e-newsletters that are published on a weekly basis. Book Bunker should attempt to find five or more e-newsletters that cover the topics that they deal. For example, if they deal in rare fictional titles, they could look for those that are dedicated to fiction book clubs, ensuring that rare fictional enthusiasts would see their ads. Button ads or banners are also another option, as long as Book Bunker can advertise on the sites where potential clients are visiting already. Continuing with the example of rare fictional title supplies, Book Bunker would look for sites that offer reviews on these sorts of titles and approach them in order to purchase ad space (Krishnamurthy, 2011). If the bookstore is still having trouble on where to advertise, it could try browsing their favorite book websites and see the advertisers on these pages, where competitors are advertising, as well as other avenues that competitors are yet to discover. Increasing Foot Traffic to the Bookstore While the World Wide Web is a powerful resource for marketing because it makes it easier to reach a world of potential clients, Book Bunker may not, be in a position, to serve a global market yet. However, the internet is still useful for reaching local markets via the use of marketing techniques that are specific to their local market (Krishnamurthy, 2011). This will help them take advantage of the internet without advertising to a market that is wider than Book Bunker is capable of serving. They should make ads that have a local slant, including composition of ads that address the clients from their state or city. It is essential to include a reference in the advert that specifies that they only serve clients locally since everyone on the internet can read the ads. They should also locate their ad sources. Local magazines and newspapers possess online versions of their editions with sections that include ads. Another source of local advertising is by use of Craigslist that will allow Book Bunker to tailor ads to their individual state or city (Krishnamurthy, 2011). Book Bunker could also list their business with services like Yahoo! and yellowpages.com that allow clients to enter their basic information that can be pulled when a person in the area searches for titles that they possess (Krishnamurthy, 2011). Brand essence needs to be identified and unified across the ad campaign without regard to the medium in use. Local variations of this are endless with the ability of the internet to deliver unimaginable customizations and variations to an audience of one in good time. By combining traditional advertising with the unique capabilities afforded by the internet, Book Bunker would have the ability to deliver globally local advertising to their clients (Krishnamurthy, 2011). Customer Relations Management Systems CRM involves all interactive aspects that a company such as Book Bunker, has with its clients; it is service and sales oriented. It aids the business to attract clients, retain them, understand them, and decrease costs of client management. They are used to manage sales leads, contract wins, clients, and business contacts (Smith, 2012). They will provide Book Bunker with data on clients that will aid them in the provision of books they want, cross-sell, provides better client service, and sells with increased effectiveness. The internet has altered approaches to CRM as the internet has also changed client buying behavior, as well as offering ways for client communication and data collection. The proliferation of smart phones, for example, has changed the manner in which client relations are managed electronically (Smith, 2012). Book Bunker should establish ways of making online experiences personal by using tools like e-mail organizers and help desk software, as well as different enterprise applications. References Gay, Richard., Charlesworth, Alan. & Esen, Rita. (2010). Online marketing : a customer-led approach. Oxford : Oxford University Press. Krishnamurthy, Sandeep. (2011). Contemporary research in e-marketing. Hershey : Idea Group Pub. Smith, Philip. & Chaffey, Dave. (2012). eMarketing eXcellence. 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